OBSERVING GUIDE
(Please note all times are UT unless otherwise stated and are based on an observing location of Belfast and covers the month of March)
The Sun
At the start of the month, the Sun rises at 07:15 and sets at 18:00. By the end of the month, it rises at 07:00 ST and sets at 20:00 ST. Remember Summer Time begins at 01:00 on the morning of the 28th with the clocks going forward one hour.
The Planets
Mercury is at superior conjunction on the 14th and becomes visible as an evening object in the last week of the month. It is at greatest eastern elongation in early April. On the 25th, it sets at 19:50, over an hour after the sun with a mag of -1.3, by month’s end it sets at 21:40 ST, and has faded to mag -1.0. It lies close to
Venus in early April and by month’s end, the gap between the two is less than four degrees.
The trick to observing the innermost planet is achieving a balance of magnitude and distance from the sun. For example by month’s end, it will be more visible than the 25th as it has moved further away from the sun but it has faded in magnitude and by greatest eastern elongation on April 8th, it is at its furthest point away from the sun in this cycle and is best placed for observation but it has faded further to mag -0.1.
Venus is slowly moving away from the sun and is an evening object. At the start of the month, it sets at 19:00, only an hour after the sun. However by month’s end, it sets at 21:50 ST and lies near to
Mercury (see above). Over the coming months, it will become much more prominent in the evening sky.
Mars is past its best but is still well placed for observation as an evening object. During the whole month, it rises during daylight hours and by month’s end, sets at 05:40 ST. It does however fade during the month from mag -0.6 to mag +0.1. It lies in the Cancer/Gemini region of the sky during the month.
Jupiter was at conjunction on the 28th of last month and is not visible this month.
Saturn is at opposition on the 22nd and thus is well placed for observation as an evening object in Virgo. At the start of the month, it rises at 19:50 and by month’s end during daylight hours. It maintains its brightness at mag +0.6 during the month.
Uranus is at conjunction on the 17th and is not visible this month.
Neptune was at conjunction on the 14th of last month and is not visible this month.
The Moon
In March, the last quarter moon is on the 7th with the new moon on the 15th. The first quarter moon is on the 23rd with the full moon on the 30th.
On the evening of the 1st, a 97% illuminated waning gibbous moon lies seven degrees to the South of
Saturn at around midnight.
On the evening of the 2nd, a 93% illuminated waning gibbous moon lies less than two degrees to the North of
M104 –The Sombrero Galaxy at around 23:00.
On the morning of the 3rd, a 91% illuminated waning gibbous moon lies seven degrees to the West of
Spica (Alpha Virginis, mag +1.0) at around 05:00 with
M104 –The Sombrero Galaxy lying four degrees to the West of the moon.
On the morning of the 4th, a 84% illuminated waning gibbous moon lies eight degrees to the South of
Spica (Alpha Virginis, mag +1.0) at around 04:00.
On the morning of the 7th, a 55% illuminated waning gibbous moon lies less than two degrees to the East of
Antares (Alpha Scorpii, mag +0.9) at around 04:00 very low in the South-East.
On the early evening of the 16th, a 22 hour old waxing crescent moon lies within eight degrees of
Venus at around 19:00 with the moon setting at approximately 19:40.
On the evening of the 18th, a 9% illuminated waxing crescent moon lies less than four degrees to the South of
M74 at around 21:00.
On the evening of the 20th, a 25% illuminated waxing crescent moon lies four degrees to the North-West of
M45 –The Pleiades at around 20:00. The gap between the two closes to two degrees by midnight with moonset at approximately 00:50 on the 21st.
On the evening of the 21st, a 34% illuminated waxing crescent moon lies six degrees to the North of
NGC 1746 at around 23:00.
On the evening of the 22nd, a 44% illuminated waxing crescent moon lies near to
M35,
M1 and
NGC 1746. At around 22:00,
M35 lies seven degrees to the South-East of the moon with
M1 less than four degrees to the South-West and
NGC 1746 eight degrees to the North to the moon.
On the evening of the 23rd, a 55% waxing gibbous moon lies seven degrees to the South-East of
M35 at around 22:00.
On the evening of the 24th, a 66% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies less than two degrees to the South-East of
NGC 2392 – The Eskimo Nebula at around 21:00.
On the evening of the 25th, a 77% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies near to
Mars,
M44 and
M67. At around 23:00, it lies eight degrees to the South-East of
Mars, five degrees to the South of
M44 – The Beehive Cluster and five degrees to the North of
M67.
On the evening of the 26th, a 87% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies seven degrees to the West of
Regulus (Alpha Leonis, mag +1.4) at around midnight.
On the morning of the 30th, the full moon lies five degrees to the North-West of
M104 –The Sombrero Galaxy at around 04:00 ST.
On the evening of the 30th, a 99% illuminated waning gibbous moon lies four degrees to the South of
Spica (Alpha Virginis, mag +1.0) at around midnight ST.
Asteroids
Asteroid 532 Herculina is at opposition on the 13th. It will be mag +8.8 in Coma Berencies. Finder charts are available from the RASNZ link in the information section.
Comets
Comet C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring) is a circumpolar comet during March. It moves in a North-Easterly direction into Draco during the month. It is around mag +9 and is predicted to remain at similar magnitudes until spring. It lies near to
Iota Draconis (mag +3.3) at the end of the month.
Comet 81P/Wild 2 can be observed in Virgo during March. It is visible from midnight at the start of the month and from 23:00 ST by month’s end. It is currently around mag +10, predicted to peak at around mag +9 in early spring. It lies near to
Iota Virginis (mag +4.1) throughout the month, to the West of the star.
Comet C/2009 K5 (McNaught) is a morning comet during March. It is predicted to be mag +11 peaking at mag +8 in May. At the start of the month, it is visible from 04:00 in Scutum, near
Beta Scuti (mag +4.2). It then moves North into Aquila and around the 20th, lies between
Tarazed (Gamma Aquilae, mag +2.7) and
Zeta Aquilae (mag +3.0). It continues its path North passing through Sagitta and arriving in Vulpucela by month’s end and is visible from 01:00 ST.
Comet C/2009 O2 (Catalina) is predicted to peak at mag +8 in late March. At the start of the month, it is visible from 02:00 and is in Vulpucela. It moves in a Westerly direction through Cygnus and Lacerta into Andromeda. It moves past Cygnus by the end of the first week of the month, past Lacerta around the middle of the month and into Andromeda by the 20th. It moves past
M31 to the South of the galaxy around the 24th/25th and by month’s end, it lies near to
Almaak (Gamma Andromedae, mag +2.3) to the North of
M34. It is circumpolar during the 2nd half of the month.
Deep Sky
On the deep sky front this month, galaxies M81 and M82 can be observed in Ursa Major. In Andromeda, M31 – The Andromeda galaxy can be observed along with its satellite galaxies M32 and M110. In Perseus, there is the open cluster M34 and the excellent Double Cluster – NGC 869 and 884. In Auriga there are three open clusters M36, M37 and M38 and also M35 in Gemini. Taurus has the excellent Pleiades – M45, the Hyades and also M1 – The Crab Nebula. In Orion we have M42 – The Great Orion Nebula and also Cancer with M44 – The Beehive Cluster and M67. Check out the constellation Canes Venatici with the globular cluster - M3 and several galaxies including M51 - the Whirlpool Galaxy and M63 - the Sunflower Galaxy. In Leo, we have several galaxies on view including The Leo Triplet - M65, M66 and NGC 3628. M95, M96 and M105 can also be observed in Leo. The place to really find galaxies is in Virgo. The Virgo Super Cluster can be found here with numerous galaxies on view. Also in Virgo, M104 - the Sombrero Galaxy can be found. In Coma Berenices, there is M64 - the Black-Eye Galaxy.
General Notes
Always keep an eye out for
Aurorae. The Spring or Vernal Equinox is on March 20th which sees the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
Other interesting naked eye phenomena to look out for include the
Zodiacal Light and the
Gegenschein. Both are caused by sunlight reflecting off dust particles which are present in the solar system. The
Zodiacal Light can be seen in the West after evening twilight has disappeared or in the East before the morning twilight. The best time of year to see the phenomenon is late-Feb to early-April in the evening sky and September/October in the morning sky - it's then that the ecliptic, along which the cone of the zodiacal light lies, is steepest in our skies. The
Gegenschein can be seen in the area of the sky opposite the sun. To view either, you must get yourself to a very dark site to cut out the light pollution. When trying to observe either of these phenomena, it is best to do so when the moon is below the horizon.
Clear Skies
Neill McKeown
Information Sources Used and Links
www.skyviewcafe.com
- Used for the Sun and Planets section. Also partly used for the Moon Section
Sky at Night Magazine Observing Guide and CD
www.aerith.net
and
cometchasing.skyhound.com
– Used for the Comet Section for information and finder charts
www.ast.cam.ac.uk/%7Ejds/
- BAA and SPA Comet page
kometen.fg-vds.de/fgk_hpe.htm
- German Comet page
www.rasnz.org.nz
– Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand website – good for asteroids
BAA Handbook
Stardust Magazine
Sky Guide 2009 – South Dublin Astronomical Society
www.heavens-above.com
– For the latest ISS passes, Iridium Flares and Shuttle launches
www.irishastronomy.org
– Irish Federation of Astronomy Societies Website
www.stronge.org.uk
– Excellent weather site including Space Weather
irishastro.org.uk
– Irish Astronomical Association website
www.eaas.co.uk
– Northern Ireland Amateur Astronomy Society
